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This FBI Charlotte preliminary investigation was opened on April 2, 2013, after the Alexander County Sheriff's Office reported allegations of sexual exploitation of children at the Twelve Tribes community in Hiddenite, North Carolina. The released records include an opening electronic communication, a 2013 complaint concerning alleged abuse in the group's Manitou Springs, Colorado community, and a 2010 referral alleging abuse and a possibly suspicious death connected to former members. An April 2013 FBI interview records a former member's allegations of corporal punishment of children, isolation and food deprivation following punishment, alcohol being given to children during a religious service, and other mistreatment. The documents describe allegations and investigative leads, not established findings or charges.

FBI file number: 31C-CE-2799059 | Documents span: 2010-2013 | Released in 1 part
Subjects: Twelve Tribes, child exploitation, child abuse allegations, FBI preliminary investigation, Hiddenite, North Carolina, religious community